Love's Binding Spell
by brittany89
Summary: Meredith has a stalker that will stop at nothing to gain his prize: her. Derek will do anything to protect his family. Will the stalker be stopped before it's too late? On top of this, everybody at Seattle Grace Mercy West is coping with the aftermath of the plane crash. Merder scenes. Please R&R. I'm unsure about this story and I want to know what you think. Thanks in advance. :D
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

He is a successful, honest man although he has nobody in his life. His mom died of cancer when he was only six years old. After that, his father became an abusive drunk, spiraling out of control. His father resented him, simply because his son reminded him of her. He suffered verbal and physical abuse at the hands of his father. He grew to hate and loathe his father. He eventually began to have fantasies of his mother, who he vaguely remembered. He would dream of the unconditional love that his mother gave him. He would stare at a picture of his beautiful mother. Her blonde hair cascading down her back and her green eyes sparkling even in the night. Then, as he grew older, he began to be attracted by beautiful blonde haired, green-eyed women. They intoxicated him.

Now, as an adult, a beautiful woman catches his eye. She is Caucasian with blonde hair just below her shoulders. Her green eyes stare at her African American baby girl placed in the child seat of the cart as she strolls up and down the isles of the grocery store, periodically catching items from the selves and placing them in the basket. Just by the look in her face, he can tell that this woman is a great mother. Immediately, he falls in love with her. He is consumed by the desire to know everything about her. He wants to marry her.

He hides behind the end of an isle, glancing at her. She is in the baby isle, carefully picking baby food out. She talks to her daughter, asking what she would like. "Peas and carrots," she asks, "or peaches?" The baby coos and smiles; she reaches both her arms up to be held. The woman nods, "that's what I thought too," she says as she places both jars of baby food in her cart and picks her daughter up in her arms.

Suddenly the woman's head snaps to her left and looks right at him. His heart beats faster as she begins to acknowledge him. She immediately gives him a sweet smile before returning her attention to her baby in her arms. Now he knows that this woman, with the baby in her arms, is in love with him too. He abandons his groceries and follows her home, careful not to be spotted.

_xoxo_

Meredith Grey is standing in the grocery store in the baby isle with her daughter, Zola, in her arms. For no apparent reason, she turns her attention to her left where she sees an average looking man poking out from the end of the isle, staring at her. She flashes him a smile and turns away. Pushing the cart with one hand and holding Zola with the other, she slowly continues to weave her way in and out of isles. She doesn't notice the average looking man tailing her.

Meredith loads Zola in her car seat and gets in her car. She begins driving home. Still, she does not notice the average looking man following her. She is unaware that she is leading him to her home.

After Meredith unloads the groceries, she turns off the downstairs lights and proceeds to give Zola a bath. She laughs as Zola coos and splashes water. A feeling of overwhelming love washes over her, and suddenly she knows that this baby girl sitting in front of her is her world, along with her husband, Derek Shepard. She grabs a towel from the nearby towel rack and wraps Zola lovingly in her arms. After drying her off, Meredith dresses Zola and places her in her crib. She turns on a mobile above the crib, and gently rubs Zola's chest. Zola stares at her mother, with bright eyes before yawning. Meredith smiles from ear to ear and turns around, flicking off the light and closing the door slightly.

Meredith heads to the master bathroom where she draws a bubble bath, slips her clothes off, and slowly dips her toes in followed by her whole body. Meredith settles and leans against the back of the tub. She places her toes slightly above the water line. Suddenly she is fully relaxed. She takes a few deep breaths.

Meredith's thoughts begin to unravel like a ball of yarn. The memory of the plane crash, her sister's death and the unknown begin to unravel all too quickly and her body tenses. Derek doesn't know it but Meredith cries daily, grieving. She thinks about Lexie constantly and begins to wish that she were at work, in a surgery. Nothing else clears her mind quite like surgery does. She closes her eyes and imagines that she is in a surgery, surrounded by scrub nurses and her husband. Suddenly missing her husband and no longer enjoying the piece and quiet, she shoots out of the tub and wraps herself tightly in her towel. She begins to sob softly, standing in the middle of the bathroom, paralyzed.

Meredith's paralysis disappears when she hears a noise from downstairs. She knows that it's too early for Derek to be home as he has a late class tonight. Her breathing quickens and her heart races. She secures the towel around her body. She slowly walks to the hallway, straining to hear any other noises. She slowly walks, down the stairs, running her hand along the railing. "Derek?" she asks when she gets to the bottom of the stairs. She cranes her neck but sees nothing. She jumps when she hears clinking coming from the kitchen. She slowly walks to the kitchen and what she sees frightens her.

In the far corner of the kitchen she sees a man hiding among the shadows. She gasps and turns the light on. She takes a sigh of relief when she realizes that the man is Derek. He is digging through the pantry. When the light turns on, he jumps up and looks towards the entrance.

Seeing that Meredith's face is pale, he asks, "Meredith, what's wrong?" He closes the pantry door and makes his way towards his wife.

Meredith places her hand over her heart and takes a few deep breaths. "You scared me," she says with a raised voice. "I thought you had a late class."

Derek's lips reach his wife's and he gives her a soft kiss. He smiles sadly and says, "I cancelled it. I wanted to be with my wife."

Meredith smiles and wraps her arms around Derek. He reciprocates by wrapping his arms around her.

Meredith releases her grip on Derek and her hand slips down his arm, never unlocking her eyes with his. She finds his hand and guides him to their bedroom.

_xoxo_

He parks his truck along the road, out of sight from the house. He slowly gets out and takes in the fresh air. He sees a silver old-fashioned trailer positioned relatively near a beautiful house, set at the edge of a cliff. He uses the trees and the descending sun as cover to watch her. He stares at her as she unloads her daughter then the groceries from the car. He is completely infatuated by her and he must learn more. Soon after she disappears into the house, the lights downstairs are turned off. Moments later, the lights upstairs are turned on. He has seen all he can see tonight. He will return later, probably tomorrow to learn everything there possibly is to know about her. He gets in his truck and disappears into the night.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

The sun is barely slipping down beyond the horizon. He wears a suit and tie and stands outside of the courthouse, waiting. He appears nonchalant, calm, and in control. He brings a cigarette carelessly up to his lips and inhales. His eyes are fixed on the heavy, cast iron front door to the courthouse. He's waiting for his next victim to emerge from the courthouse. Her name is Emily Pickens. She's a lawyer with blonde hair and green eyes. She's successful and beautiful, and she has an extraordinary family.

From the time he found Emily to now, it has only been five hours. His focus is not off of Meredith Grey. No, just the opposite. Emily is part of his plan to gain Meredith's notice.

When the front doors to the courthouse swing open, he immediately drops his cigarette at his feet and steps on it. Emily has emerged from the courthouse. An older man with white hair with an old, brown suit walks alongside Emily. The pair are laughing giving him the impression that she has won her case. He follows her with his eyes as she and her companion descend the stairs leading to the courthouse. Once the couple passes him, he begins to follow them to the parking lot. Once Emily and the elder man part, he continues his chase in his car.

Emily pulls up in the driveway belonging to a beautiful Victorian style house complete with stained glass. The sun is hiding behind the horizon by now giving him the perfect cover of darkness.

He pulls up along side the next door neighbor's house and quickly jumps from his truck. He takes two steps in one and pulls a switchblade from his jacket pocket. With his heart full of evil and his eyes full of hatred, he brings the knife up passed his head as he approaches Emily.

Emily doesn't see him coming. She is preoccupied with the pleasure of winning her case. Before she hears footsteps behind her, it is too late. She barely has gotten out of her car before she whips around to see an average looking man running towards her with a knife. The look in his eyes is the last thing she remembers.

_xoxo_

"What does that even mean?" Meredith says into the phone. She's walking through the halls of Seattle Grace Mercy West with her cell phone glued to her ear.

"It means that Parker is a dick and Thomas is… still old," Cristina says.

Meredith chuckles. She pauses and her face falls. She misses Cristina but won't tell her. Cristina chose to move. While she respects that it is the best thing for Cristina, she can't help but secretly wish that something happens forcing Cristina back here. Nothing bad, of course, but a cosmic push to help Cristina find her way back to Seattle would be greatly appreciated. "Well I say go for the old guy. From the way you talk about him, you'd think he's a very hot old guy."

"Yeah, well, he's the nonjerk in this hospital," Cristina replies. "Besides he has drinks with me."

Meredith begins laughing but is interrupted by a nurse cooing over a dozen red roses for Meredith sitting at the front desk. Meredith glances over at the flowers and smiles. "I gotta go," she says into the phone. She hangs up and walks to the flowers. She immediately picks out the card sticking out from the flowers. It is a simple card, with golden roses on the front. On the inside, it is completely blank except for a hand written note that says, _xoxo_.

Meredith smiles. She thinks of Derek and what a wonderful guy he is. She can't remember the last time she got flowers and now she has a beautiful bouquet of red roses from her husband. She leans in and smells the roses, in taking its sweet smell.

Suddenly Meredith's beeper goes off. After reading it, she rushes to the E.R where she discovers a beautiful blonde haired, green-eyed woman laying unmoving on the gurney. Meredith immediately steps forward to begin work on her patient. What she sees scares her. The woman has a five-inch gash running down the right side of her face. It is gushing blood and needs immediate attention. The woman's wound is not what surprises Meredith, however. What surprises her is the name 'Meredith Grey' written in a black sharpie on the woman's forehead.

Meredith looks up wide eyed at Bailey who stands on the other side of the gurney. "What happened? Who is this?" she demands.

"Emily Pickens," Bailey says. "Her husband found her in the driveway of their home after she came home from work. They think that somebody attacked her."

Meredith stands there for a second before her mind wraps around what Bailey just said. Unconsciously, she steps back away from the patient when she hears her name being called by a man. She whips around and sees two men, standing in front of her with suits and ties. "Yes," she says stepping closer to them.

One man with blonde hair, slicked back with too much hair gel, flashes his I.D. badge. "I'm Detective Scott Pierce," he says. He points at the man next to him. He has slick black hair and brown eyes. There appears to be a scar on the corner of his right eyebrow. He nods and holds out his badge as Scott introduces him. "This is my partner Detective Terry Powers."

Meredith doesn't say anything. She just stares at them.

"Do you know this woman?" Scott asks, pointing to Emily.

Meredith shakes her head. "I've never seen this woman in my life. I have no idea who she is."

"Any idea why your name is written on the victim's forehead?"

Meredith shakes her head.

"Can you tell us where you were tonight at about 6:00pm?" Terry asks. His eyebrows are raised, crinkling his scar.

Meredith just stares in disbelief at the detectives before answering. "I was here," she says matter of factly.

"Meredith, I just heard. What happened?" Derek says walking up to Meredith's side. Meredith just shrugs and looks at the detectives for information. Derek follows Meredith's gaze and stares at the men as well.

"Who is this?" Scott requests.

"I'm her husband," Derek says, eagerly awaiting the answer to his question. He heard that a woman was attacked and came in with Meredith's name written on her face. Alarmed, but not overly worried, Derek rushed to the E.R. to find a critical patient and his wife talking to two men. He stepped closer to the patient and saw the extent of her injuries as well as is wife's name. With the level of worry rising, he stepped towards his wife, inviting himself into the conversation.

Scott darts his eyes between the couple. The look on his face is less than happy. "I don't know," he says finally answering Derek's question, "but we are going to get to the bottom of this."

_Hey guys I'm glad you like it :) I'm not sure where I'm going with this lol but I have an idea. Thanks!_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Meredith sits at the kitchen table nibbling on toast. Her eyes are staring at the roses placed on the kitchen counter. After last night's surprise patient, she is thankful for the roses. It's like a rainbow in the middle of a storm.

Derek walks in and sits down next to Meredith at the kitchen table. He takes Meredith's toast from her plate and takes a bit in it before replacing it. "How'd you sleep?"

Meredith watches Derek take her toast with his bad hand that he crushed in the plant crash. She shrugs her shoulders. "I was thinking about Emily last night." She pauses. "Do you know if she's going to be okay?"

Derek shakes his head. "She's going to have a nasty scar on her face though." He immediately thinks of how Mark could be the one to make the scare disappear. He's washed with an overwhelming feeling of grief which passes quickly when Meredith thanks him for the flowers. He turns his head and notices the bouquet of flowers for the first time. "Meredith… I didn't get those for you." He looks at Meredith and sees anxiety in her face. He watches her quickly get up from her chair, grab the flowers, and throw them in the trash. She leans against the counter, facing him. He can tell that she wants to know what to do next. He stands up and steps in front of her. He crosses his arms across his chest and says, "I'll ask around to see if anybody knows where they came from."

Meredith shakes her head slightly and looks down. "Okay," she sighs, never looking up.

Derek slips his hands on Meredith's waist and leans closer. "Don't worry," he reassures her. "We will find out what's going on." He kisses her quickly on the lips and pulls her into a hug.

The tenseness in Meredith's body dissipates as she allows herself to melt in Derek's arms. She wraps her arms around him and sinks in his grip. She slips her head in the crook of Derek's neck. "I'm not worried." It's true; she's not worried, at least not about the source of the roses and whoever is writing her name on women's faces. She's exhausted and run down. These past couple of months since the plane crash have been hard, not just on her, but on everybody. With the death of Lexie and Mark and Arizona's amputation, and, of course, Derek's hand, things at Seattle Grace Mercy West have been hard. Of course it doesn't help that a stranger came in to the hospital within inches of her life and had her name written on her. But at this moment, all of that is washed away temporality as she tightens her grip on her husband. Suddenly, everything that she fought so hard to control unleashes and tears begin to roll down her checks, landing on Derek.

Feeling tears on his skin, Derek pulls back from Meredith. Seeing tears on her cheeks he gently whips them away with his thumb.

Meredith smiles and pulls Derek in for a long, hard kiss. She grabs Derek's waist and pushes him closer to her, suddenly wanting more. She loves the way he makes her feel both physically and emotionally. She cannot imagine a life without him and she would rather not.

Derek rubs his hands through Meredith's hair. He deepens the kiss and tastes the inside of Meredith's mouth. Passion and heat rise in him as he begins to slip Meredith's shirt off.

Meredith's heart beats faster with anticipation as she eagerly rips Derek's shirt off. He lifts her up and carries her to the couch, never breaking the kiss…

_xoxo_

The darkroom is illuminated by a red light to prevent his pictures from being exposed to light. This is the room that he does his best work in, and now is no different.

He scans the wall of photographs that he took. His eyes carefully examination Meredith's smiling face as she does varies activities around town. Mostly, though, Meredith is entering or exiting Seattle Grace. She's usually alone; however, there are a few photographs of Meredith with a man, her husband. There are even a few photographs of Meredith and Derek at their home in the woods as well as photographs with Zola.

He does not mind that Meredith is a mother. It only reassures him that he chose the right woman. However when he found out that Meredith is married, he became enraged. He knows that because Meredith is in love with him, she's only staying with Derek because she feels obligated. Clearly Derek Shepard is abusing Meredith in some way or another, and he needs to get Meredith away fro m him.

Once dry, he takes a picture from the wall and exits his darkroom located in the basement. He ascends the stairs to the first floor where he enters the kitchen. He walks to a drawer located in the back of the kitchen, grabs a red marker and sits at the kitchen table. He scrutinizes over the picture. Meredith is sitting on a bench outside of Seattle Grace, presumably waiting for Derek. When he arrives, she looks up at him and he at her. Their eyes catch and they smile. It is at this moment that he captures the picture. It's a picture of their profiles with the moon high in the night sky behind them.

He slowly takes the cap off of the marker and scribbles a red circle around Meredith's face. He then brings the marker over a few centimeters and furiously scribbles an 'X' over his face. He stands and walks up the stairs to a second level. He enters the back guest room and opens the closet. The closet is not full of clothes or pictures. Plastered on the wall are hundreds of pictures. The pictures are mostly of Meredith at home, at work, and out in the town. A few of the pictures, however, have Derek by Meredith's side. Looking at all the beautiful pictures of Meredith, he realizes that looking at Meredith from a distance is not enough. He needs to hold her. He needs to tell her how much he loves her. To do that, he needs to show Meredith how far he's willing to go for her. After all he just gave Meredith the best gift of all: a surgery, even if it was at Emily's expense.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Stacy is so beautiful. She has light blonde hair that is pulled back into a loose ponytail allowing free strands of hair, wisp around her green eyes. She is in her backyard, on her knees, weeding her garden of tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and barley. She doesn't even see him coming. By the time she realizes that she is not alone, the blade is already slicing her flesh.

_xoxo_

The letter is simple. It came in a white envelope with 'Meredith' written on the front. There isn't a return address or even her address on it. Even though she has a surgery to get to, Meredith stops to read it. The letter is typed and printed on a crisp piece of printer paper. It reads:

_ To my dearest Meredith,_

_ From the moment I saw you, I knew you were the one. _

_ You are so beautiful. You are selfless and confident and_

_ I admire you for that. I have been watching you from _

_ afar but now I'm ready to show you what I can offer you._

_ One day you will meet me and I know you'll feel the same _

_ way. And when that day comes, I'll be waiting._

_ P.S. How was your surgery?_

_ xoxo_

Meredith stares at the letter, wide-eyed and in disbelief. She hasn't even blinked when she realizes that there is something else in the envelope. She clasps the letter and the envelop in one hand and pulls out a pile of something slightly thicker than paper but still bendable. She quickly finds out that the pile consists of pictures. All five pictures in the pile are of her. At first she goes through the piles slowly, scanning every aspect of it. There are two pictures of her at Seattle Grace, one at Joe's, and two pictures of her at home. Of the two pictures of Meredith at home, one picture was taken when she was walking to her car and the other is of her in the house, alone, feeding Zola in her highchair. She begins flipping through the pictures fast, looking at them multiple times. Once she realizes that these pictures are real, she stuffs them in her purse, grabs Zola and rushes out the door.

But she stops dead in her tracks, frozen in fear.

Meredith never takes a step out of the house but her eyes immediately find a beautiful bouquet of red roses, wrapped in purple paper, resting on the ground only a foot from where she stands. They look exactly like the flowers she got previously when she was working. This is not what captures her mind, however. Five minutes ago, she left the house via the front door, exactly where the flowers lay now, and the flowers were not there but here they are, lying at her feet. Now, at the realization that whoever sent her the letter and flowers is out in the woods somewhere, she panics.

Meredith doesn't even bother to look around outside. She drops her purse and the diaper bag in her right arm and holds onto Zola tighter with her left. She slams the door and locks it. She places Zola in her playpen and rushes around the house locking all the doors and windows and pulling the blinds down. Shaking, she pages Derek 911.

Waiting for Derek's call back, Meredith plucks Zola from her playpen and holds her tightly, clutching the phone in her hand. She nervously bounces her leg and darts her eyes back and forth. The house is silent and every little noise startles her.

Meredith jumps when her cell phone begins to ring. Barely loosening her grip on Zola, Meredith answers the phone. "Derek." There's an edge to her voice.

Immediately sensing the stress in Meredith's voice, Derek asks, "What's wrong?" He's in the attending's lounge, sitting on the couch, waiting for his next lecture to begin.

"I don't know. I don't know. Somebody sent me a letter and flowers and I think he's still here," Meredith says without taking a breath, making it hard for Derek to comprehend her.

Derek leans forward on the couch. "Calm down. Tell me what happened." He's alarmed.

Meredith looks around before she answers. "I think somebody's here," she says slowly, staring at the front door.

"What do you mean?" Derek stands from the couch.

"I mean I think I have a stalker. He sent me pictures of me when I'm at home and at work. You and Zola are in them too." She pauses. "Derek, I'm scared."

"Call the police. I'm on my way," Derek says. He does not waste time springing from the attending's lounge towards home.

When Derek arrives home, the police are already there, scanning the pictures. Meredith is sitting on the living room couch with Zola in her lap. He glances at Meredith and steps near the officer, standing in front of her. "May I?" he asks, reaching out for the pictures. Once he sees them, anger overwhelms him. There are pictures of his wife when she is home alone in their house. Fear immediately replaces anger. "What happens next?"

The officer sighs. "All we can do is take these into the lab," he says pointing to the pictures and letters, "to see if there are any prints. Unfortunately, we don't know the identity of this person so we can't do much, and this person did not physically threaten you or your family in anyway."

Derek shakes his head. "Are you kidding!? Look at those pictures. They are of her in my house at night. That's not enough!" His voice is at a tone that Meredith has never heard before.

"I'm very sorry, Sir. We can have a patrol car out front watching the house tonight if you want," the officer offers.

Just when Derek opens his mouth to answer, there is a knock at the door. When Derek opens it, he finds Detective Scott Pierce and Terry Powers.

As if to answer Derek's question, Terry says, "another woman was attacked and she has Meredith's name written on her forehead."

Derek turns around to glare at the officer. "Is that threatening enough?"

Meredith gasps. She never even thought about Emily's attack as being connected with her letter and flowers but now it all makes sense. Now the fear rises inside her like the ocean at high tide.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Meredith waits until the police leave Stacy Robert's room before she enters. She stops only a few feet from the doorway. Both Stacy and Emily survived but will most likely have nasty scars running down the side of their faces.

Stacy stares at Meredith as she enters the room. But Meredith doesn't stare at her eyes; she stares at the gash on her face. It took 25 stitches to close Stacy's wound. The gash has a slight curvature that starts just below her eye, curves inwards towards her nose and stops at her jaw line. It's black and yellow and causes the right side of her face to swell.

"It's ugly, isn't it?"

Meredith jumps at the sound of Stacy's voice. She was so preoccupied with her injury that she forgot there was actually somebody other than her in the room.

She looks Stacy in the eyes and notices that they resemble her own. She smiles and walks to the bed. "No, of course not. Once it heals, it'll look better."

Stacy gives a sad smile. She looks Meredith over. "Who are you?"

"Oh, I'm Me—" Meredith stops. She's sure the police told her about the name written on her forehead, and she doesn't feel right telling Stacy her name. "I'm… I'm…umm… I just wanted to check on you."

"That's sweet," Stacy says.

Meredith immediately picks up Stacy's kindness even after all she's been through. "Get some rest," she says before turning around.

"Good-bye, Meredith," Stacy says.

Meredith stops and turns around. "How'd you know?"

"The look in your eyes. They're soft. I can tell you care."

Meredith smiles. She steps back towards Stacy. "I'm sorry that this happened to you."

"Don't be. You didn't do anything wrong."

Meredith nods and smiles. "Take care." She turns and exits the room.

_xoxo_

Meredith sighs as she closes the front door. She quickly locks it and turns to face the living room. Scanning it with her eyes, she sits on the couch and slips her shoes off. She leans against the back of the couch and looks around. She was supposed to make a quick stop at the store but was too exhausted. After talking to Stacy, she needs to be alone to think. That's why Zola's in daycare and Derek is at work, much to his refusal. He's afraid to leave his wife alone and only agreed this time because she promised to call every half hour.

She grabs the remote control and flicks on the TV, unaware of the pair eyes trained directly on her.

_xoxo_

He hears the key being inserted into the lock and begins to panic. Who is it? Derek is at work. It could be Meredith, but he's not ready for that yet. He hopes it's Derek. He has to eliminate the threat. Now is as good as any. Besides he doesn't know when he's going to get an opportunity. Without a second thought he leaps up the stairs and hangs his head over the railing, careful to stay out of sight of whoever is home.

It's Meredith.

He watches her. She shuts the door and locks it and turns around, before disappearing out of sight. He slowly creeps back down the stairs, trying to catch a glimpse of Meredith. He quickly catches sight of her on the couch, taking her shoes off. He watches her as she flicks through TV channels. He begins to breathe harder, trying to catch his breath. Her beauty captivates him. She glow from the TV illuminates her silhouette. He looks around the house. It's the first time he's been in Meredith's house and it's beautiful. Of course it's nothing compared to what he can offer her.

He smiles as he slowly tiptoes towards her, pulling a pocketknife from his back pocket. The sound of the TV drowns out any possible noise he might make. This is what allows him to get close to Meredith without detection. He quickly and easily places the knife to her throat. He feels her body jump and halt.

**Hey guys, thanks for reading. I didn't think anybody would like this. And a special thanks to all of you who review. It's actually ironic because my ex is beginning to be a creeper and stalkerish lol **


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Driving home is not a fun task for Derek. His hand makes turning the wheel more difficult than it used to. Hearing the cooing from the backseat, he glances in the rearview mirror to find Zola tucked in her car seat with her toes grasped in her fingers. Derek smiles and turns his eyes on the road.

As Derek pulls up in the driveway, he catches sight of Meredith's car. _She's supposed to be at the grocery store_, he thinks. He wanted to surprise her by being home before her, but this works too. He parks the car and delicately takes Zola from her car seat. Juggling Zola, Derek fumbles with his keys to unlock the front door. As he begins to place the key in the lock, he notices that the door is unlocked. Disconcerted about the unlocked door, he quickens his pace to find the TV on in the living room. He spots a broken table lamp resting on the living room floor. He places Zola in the playpen next to the TV and switches on a light. Immediately, the living room is flooded with light. He sees Meredith's purse toppled on the floor next to the broken lamp. A lump rises in his throat as panic sets it. "Meredith!" he screams glancing at Zola before racing upstairs. He doesn't hear a response and frantically searches upstairs for his wife. But when he reaches the master bathroom, he stops in his tracks. He spots a tiny pool of blood by the bathtub. His heart races and, suddenly, his mind goes blank until he hears Zola scream. He never stopped to think about that fact that whoever was here could still be here. Quickly gathering his thoughts he races for the playpen. "Zola!" he screams. When he is in view of the playpen, he relaxes slightly as he sees her standing in her playpen, holding onto the edge, crying. Ignoring her for the moment, he picks up his phone and calls Meredith.

No answer.

His next call is to Scott Pierce and Terry Powers.

As he awaits the arrival of the detectives, Derek paces with Zola in his arms. He refuses to put her down. When the doorbell rings, he runs to the door. Immediately, he starts to explain fast. "I came home and Meredith wasn't here. She's supposed to be here. There's blood in the upstairs bathroom. I think he has her. He has to have her."

"Slow down, Sir," Terry soothes. "Now what about the blood?" He leads Scott into the house.

Derek moves to the playpen to place a sleeping Zola in it. He points upstairs. "There's a pool of blood upstairs." Without a word, he leads the detectives upstairs. He waits at the doorway while the detectives examine the pool of blood. His arms are crossed over his chest.

Scott's eyes widen in fear. He turns around to face Derek. "What happened, please?" Scott begins, leaving Terry to deal with the blood.

Derek pauses. "She was supposed to go to the grocery store after she left the hospital, but I guess she didn't because when I got home, her car was already here. I was only about twenty minutes behind her." He pauses to think. He looks at the ground before darting his eyes up at Scott. "Oh god," he breathes. "If I left with her none of this would have happened."

Scott smiles. He seems uninterested in Derek's pain.

Terry comes up behind Scott and sighs. "This is not your fault," he says. "We should have taken this more seriously than we did. She might have gone somewhere willingly with a friend or co-worker."

Derek shakes his head vigorously. "No," he says matter-of-factly.

"Well," Terry begins, "I've called it in. Forensics should be here soon. We'll get to the bottom of this."

Scott places a hand on Derek's shoulder. He looks in his eyes and says, "I once worked a case where a woman disappeared. Her husband was frantic. Turned out she left him for another man."

Derek just stands in the doorway for a second. He is 110% that Meredith did not leave him. He knows that something happened to her. His worry level is through the roof. Tears begin the sting the back of this eyes but he forces them back. He can't lose it yet. Meredith is out there somewhere and she needs him.

_xoxo_

He drives along the road, panicking. He never meant to take Meredith. He slams his fist on the steering wheel in frustration. He is angry at himself because he took her. But Meredith was sitting on the couch, looking beautiful as usual. He just couldn't resist being with her. But now that he has her, he has no plan. He does not know what to do.

He is ripped away from his thoughts when his phone rings. After talking for a minute on the phone, he throws the phone onto the passenger seat. He stops the car and repeatedly slams his hands on the steering wheel, screaming. He just found out that he has to be at work ASAP. His anxiety goes through the roof as he scrambles his brain for a plan. He has to think of somewhere to stash Meredith for a few hours. He will have to think of something a little bit more permanent later. He begins to drive and pulls up alongside a house.

He steps out of the car and makes his way to the trunk. He opens it and stares at Meredith. Her hands are bound and it looks like she has been crying. He interprets her crying as happiness for being with him. He lifts Meredith out of the trunk and kisses her on the lips. She resists. He'll deal with that later. He leads her to the house and stashes her in the basement.

He'll come back for her later.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

_-12 hours earlier-_

The feeling of a knife to your throat is foreign to Meredith. It's cold. It's sharp and it's already causing a little bit of pain. But when he orders her off the couch, she forgets how the blade feels against her skin. She begins to focus on her heartbeat and how her skin releases water. Her mind is clouded with fear as she comes to the realization of who has her. The first thought that flashes through her mind is how to escape. Her eyes dart across the room. She doesn't see anything within immediate reach she can use to defend herself.

"I said get up," he grunts, pushing the knife slightly tighter against her throat.

"Ok," Meredith says, her voice shaking. She begins to slide to one side of the couch. It proves difficult for him to hold the knife against her throat while she gets off the couch. She weasels her way free from his grip and pops up from the couch, toppling her purse onto the floor. She stands for a moment, trying to see his face but the glow of the TV does not provide enough light to see his features. She instinctively reaches for the close possible weapon: a lamp. By the time the lamp is securely in her hand, he is beginning to lunge for her. She quickly raises the lamp up and smashes it on his head. He falters and falls to the ground, but is still conscious.

"You stupid, Bitch!" he hisses as he stumbles to his feet. He reaches for his head to find a trickle of blood coming from a tiny gash just millimeters from the edge of his hairline.

Because he is blocking her way to the front door, Meredith turns direction and runs upstairs to her bedroom and locks to door. She proceeds to her bathroom and locks the door behind her. She turns on the light and goes to the cabinet under the sink where she keeps a suture kit and a scalpel. She knows the two locked doors will not hold him for long so she stands, waiting for him. She hears him come through the first locked door with ease. Then she hears the jiggling of the bathroom doorknob as he proceeds to pick the lock.

The fear in her is so strong that she does not hesitate swinging the scalpel at him when he comes through the door.

By the time he sees the scalpel coming, it has already pierced his flesh. The scalpel digs its way into his left side on the ribs, immediately causing it to bleed and drip on the floor. He winces in pain and drops his knife as he covers his wound with his right hand. He looks at Meredith with fire in his eyes.

Being a surgeon, Meredith quickly realizes that although he's wounded, it is not deep enough to stop him. She swings at him a second time but he quickly grasps her wrist with the scalpel in squeezes her wrist so hard that she is forced to drop the scalpel. In a rage, he hits Meredith across the face, creating a small laceration below her eye.

She screams, lifting her hand up to her face and turning to her stalker. For the first time Meredith looks into his eyes. Her eyes widen as the realization that she knows him comes to mind. She begins to take shallow breathes, never breaking eye contact with him

He breaks eye contact and kicks the scalpel and it lands just behind the toilet out of reach. He bends down and grabs his knife. He grips his hand on Meredith's upper arm and violently forces her out of the house and into his trunk, tying her up with rope he has in his vehicle.

_-Present_-

The basement is dark and cold. It offers no feelings of safety or warmth. As the hours pass, it takes that much more hope away from Meredith. Her voice is hoarse from the hours of screaming for help. Her wrists and ankles are raw from struggling against her restraints. She has no idea how long she has been stuck in the basement but it feels like eternity.

To keep her mind from foretelling her future, Meredith thinks about Derek and Zola. She can't help but wonder if anybody knows she's missing. She never called Derek so surely he got worried about her. Realistically, there's a good possibility that Derek knows she's missing and is looking for her now. But the scared side of her wonders if he has noticed. She is anxious, scared, and exhausted. All the fight in her has nearly dissipated. But there is a flicker of hope when she realizes where she is.

As her eyes scan the basement, she begins to notice and recognize things in there. It has something that has not registered in her mind until now because it has been so clouded with fear and worry. She sees her dollhouse when she was little girl shoved in the corner to her far right. Boxes of old clothes and knick-knacks are stacked next to the stairwell directly in front of her. Just beyond them are the washer and dryer. To her left is the furnace. She used to be terrified of it when she was a little girl until it became her only comfort at night when her mom was at work. Four small windows align the basement wall.

She is in the house she inherited from her mother.

Since she moved into the house Derek built for her, Alex and April have been living here. Hope rises in her. All she has to do is scream until one of them gets home. But being surgeons they may not be home for days. She begins to worry that He will come back before them. And even if she hears somebody come in, she has no way of knowing who it will be.

At that moment, she hears the faint sound of the doorbell.

_xoxo_

Derek eagerly rocks back and forth on his feet. He is standing on the front porch of Meredith's house. He just rung the doorbell and is waiting for someone to appear. He wanted to come here, where he and Meredith started. The crime scene investigators and police made a mess of his house while trying to gather evidence. He dropped Zola off at Bailey's before coming here. Although he loves Zola to death, his mind is on Meredith and Zola needs more than that right now. He cannot fathom a life without Meredith. He knows that she is somewhere in the world, scared and alone. This thought terrifies him even more.

He sees lights on in the house but there is no sign of anybody actually being home. He assumes Alex and April are at work and decides to let himself in. He pulls out a key to the house that Meredith gave him and begins to unlock the door. But before he can, he hears somebody calling to him. He turns around and finds Scott Pierce jogging up the driveway towards him.

"Hey," Scott says, reaching the front porch.

Derek shoves his hands in his pockets. "What's wrong?" he asks. "Did you find her?" Hope rises.

Scott shakes his head. "No," he says.

Derek stares at him for a moment. "What are you doing here?"

Scott laughs. "Right, sorry," he says. "I need you to come to the station with me for a few more questions." He looks at Derek and sees a quizzical look. "I thought I'd find you here," he adds.

Derek sighs. He doesn't question Scott presence. "I'm not going anywhere tonight." He pulls his hands out of his pocket and begins to insert the key in the lock.

"Wait," Scott says with an edge in his voice.

Derek stops and looks at him.

"I can ask you inside if you'd like."

Derek thinks for a second. When he gets the door open, he motions with his head to go inside. Once inside, he notices a cut on Scott's forehead. It's right at the edge of his hairline. "Where'd you get that?" he asks.

Scott points to his cut. "Oh that?" he asks. "It's nothing. Just bumped my head in the shower."

Derek nods and shows Scott into the kitchen.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Derek places a steaming cup of coffee in front of Scott. He sits beside him at the table and clasps his hands around his own cup. "So what do you want to ask me?"

"Uh…" Scott stutters. "Well I need to know…"

Derek puts his hand up indicating for Scott to stop. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Scott says quickly. His eyes dart to the direction of the basement door.

"I don't know. It sounds like… like a woman?" Derek is unsure of what he hears and poses his statement as a question instead.

Scott quickly stands up. "No," he says quickly. "It's probably the TV. Let me go check." He dashes out of the kitchen and turns on the TV. Before returning to Derek, he raises the volume. "Yup," he says when he returns to the kitchen, "it was the TV."

Derek gives him a sad smile as Scott returns to his seat. Derek turns his attention to his coffee and takes a sip. He feels the warm liquid begin to sooth the lump in his throat. Of course, nothing will soothe it like finding Meredith.

"Look," Scott says, "we don't have to do this right now. How about we go out for a drink? My treat."

Hesitantly, Derek shakes his head yes. He begins to down his coffee. "Let's go," he says, following Scott to the door.

_xoxo_

Meredith's heart sinks when she hears the doorbell. Ignoring her throat, she begins to scream as loud as she can. She begins to thrash around insanely, trying desperately to free herself from her restraints. She tries to get to her feet but the rope around her wrists and ankles make it difficult. She continuously falls on her butt. She stops and thinks. _Why would somebody ring the doorbell? Maybe it's Scott making sure that nobody is home._ She decides it doesn't matter. If it is him, she has nothing to lose.

She stops thrashing around for a second so she can hear what's going on upstairs. She hears footsteps and muffled male voices. It's Alex. It has to be. "Help!" she screams. She pauses and waits. It takes only a few seconds before she hears the TV turn on, drowning out her voice. Defeated, she stops screaming. Now instead of trying to stand, she begins to crawl her way up the steps to the door.

xoxo

Scott has no intention of taking Derek out for a drink. Meredith is in the basement and he must get him out of the house. This is his chance to get rid of Derek so that Meredith and he can have a long, happy life together. He opens the front door and waits for Derek to exit. But Derek turns to his right instead.

"I have to turn off the TV," Derek says. "I can't believe they have this TV going 24/7."

Scott doesn't say anything. He prays that Meredith doesn't scream. He knew he shouldn't have taken her here. This wasn't his plan. He was going to take her to his house but he got called into work and he didn't have enough time. He knew that Alex and April would be at the hospital for a while. When he was on his way back to get Meredith, he found Derek at the front door. He never expected to see him here.

Just as Derek is about the exit the house, a loud thud comes from within the house. He stops and turns around towards the interior. "What's that?" he asks as he steps deeper into the house.

Scott sighs. He pulls his knife from his belt loop. This would be a really great time to have his gun. He slowly stalks towards Derek. He didn't want to have to do it here but he will if he has to. Nothing is getting in the way between him and Meredith.

Just then Derek's phone begins to ring and Scott immediately retracts his weapon and replaces it in its spot. He backs up a few steps.

"Hello?" Derek answers. He goes to the living room where Scott cannot hear him.

"Dr. Shepard, this is Detective Powers. I have some information for you."

"What is it?" Derek is unsure on whether he should be worried or happy.

"The blood in your bathroom isn't Meredith's."

Derek breathes a sigh of relief. He smiles. This information provides a little relief. "Whose is it then?"

"I need you to come down so we can discuss it."

"Well Detective Peirce is here. Can't he tell me?"

"He's what?!"

"Scott Pierce," Derek says slowly. "He's here with me at Meredith's old house."

"Is he listening to you?"

Derek looks up and doesn't see Scott. "No. What's going on?" Worry begins to fill his blood.

"Listen to me closely, Derek. Do not let him know that you are talking to me. I am on my way."

"What is happening?" Derek asks with a stern voice. Worry is penetrating every muscle.

Terry pauses. "The blood in your bathroom is Scott's." He pauses. When he doesn't hear a response, he says, "Scott is Meredith's stalker."

Derek hangs up the phone in disbelief. He stands there for only a second before his feet start moving. He has to find Scott. "Scott," he calls, "I think I'm going to have to pass on that drink." He goes into the kitchen but doesn't see Scott. "My…uh…my babysitter just called. I have to go get my daughter. She's not feeling well." Derek pokes his head in the study. No Scott. "Scott?" He is about to go upstairs when he hears a door opening and closing. He follows the sound to what he thinks is the basement door. He finds Scott standing next to the basement door. "What were you doing down there?" he questions.

"Oh nothing," Scott says.

Derek decides to drop it. "Well that was Zola's babysitter. I have to pick her up."

Scott, not buying it, just stares at Derek. "Why?"

Derek opens his mouth to say something but his curiosity grabs ahold of him. "Why were you in the basement?" His voice is strict. "What's down there?"

Scott continuously just stares at him. He doesn't move and he doesn't say a word.

Derek thinks. Suddenly, everything makes sense. "You didn't come here to talk to me, did you? You came here for whatever is in the basement."

Scott shakes his head. "That was Terry, wasn't it? He was letting you know that I'm the stalker and that he's on his way."

Derek backs up. "Is it Meredith? Is Meredith in the basement?" He looks at Scott like he looked at the man with the gun pointed to him not too long ago. When Scott doesn't say anything, Derek begins to work his way around Scott to get into the basement. "Meredith!" But Derek's hand makes his goal difficult.

Scott pushes Derek so that he can't access the basement. "She can't hear you," Scott says devilishly.

Derek's heart drops in his stomach. "What did you do to her?" Derek looks at the basement door with pleading eyes. He knows Meredith is down there, but he can't get to her. That's what pains him the most.

"Nothing I'm not going to do to you." Scott says, pulling out the knife and points it at Derek.

Derek can easily make it to the front door to escape but he knows that Meredith is down in the basement, probably hurt. He decides that while he is after him, Scott can't hurt Meredith anymore. Derek immediately runs to the kitchen with Scott on his heals. Derek runs around the kitchen table where Scott's steaming coffee still resides. Derek uses the kitchen table as a shield against Scott and his knife.

The two men dance around the table like kids playing musical chairs.

Derek figures that he has to hold him off until the police arrive, and he figures the only way to do that is to distract him. "So you're the coward that was slashing women's faces."

Scott smiles. "I only did that so that Meredith can have what she loves the most: surgery. I figured that if I cut up some people for her, she could stitch them back together. It was to show her my devotion to her."

Derek darts to his left while Scott darts to his right, swinging the knife. Derek laughs when he misses. "Your plan didn't work. She never worked on any of those women, especially with her name written on them like a package."

Scott tries to lunge over the table but fails. "At least I tried. What do you get her? Nothing. She doesn't love you. She loves me."

"If she doesn't love me, then how come I fall asleep with her in my arms every night? How come she kisses me every chance she gets? Let me ask you this: did Meredith willingly go with you or did you force her?" Derek's response is Scott running around the table to the opposite side. Derek easily avoids him by running to the side Scott was on. "Does that cut on your face prove her love?" Derek smiles deviously knowing that Meredith gave him that cut.

Scott's rage boils over and he runs around the table once more to try to have a stab at Derek. Again Derek easily avoids him and runs around the table to the opposite side, placing Derek on the side closest to the kitchen.

Derek glances to the coffee pot just a few yards away from him. He leaves the safety of the wood table and races for the coffee pot. He grabs it and just before Scott has time to jab the knife into his body, he splashes the boiling liquid onto Scott.

Scott immediately backs up and screams in pain.

Derek tries to maneuver his way around Scott and out of the kitchen but Scott's quick recovery stops him.

Scott laughs as he slowly closes in on Derek with the knife. Scott doesn't immediately go after Derek, however. He likes to see the fear in his eyes as he takes baby steps towards him like a lioness going for her prey. "You know once I kill you, Meredith and I are going to run off together. We are going to live a wonderful life full of love and promise."

Derek grabs a knife from the block on the counter and points it at Scott. Years of handling a scalpel should make this easy but his patients never hold a scalpel to him at the same time. Derek swings at Scott but he arches his back and jumps back avoiding the knife.

Suddenly the memory of Meredith possibly being hurt rushes back to Derek. He has to do something so that he can get to her. She could be dying at this very moment. It would kill him if he didn't get to her on time. Well aware of Scott's knife, Derek leaps towards Scott with his knife above his head. Derek tackles Scott, knocking the knife from his hand.

Both Scott and Derek are lying on the kitchen floor. Scott is lying on his back. The knife is just out of reach. Derek is next to him, lying on his side, facing him. Derek winces in pain as his left hand throbs in pain. He landed on it and now his hand is angry at him.

Before Derek can react any further, he turns towards the entrance of the kitchen where he finds that Scott has already gotten his knife back. He crawls towards Derek and raises it above his head, fully prepared to stab him.

Derek watches as the knife closes in on him. _If I die, at least the cops will be here in time to save Meredith_, he thinks.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys, love that you love my story! :) I did put up chapter 9 earlier but took it down because it was too short. I added to to it though. That's why you got an alert. Just for clarification. **

**Chapter 9**

The stele blade slices through Derek's flesh and stabs his intestine. Pain fills his body like water fills a bucket. He lets out a whimper and braces himself for the next one. And the next. And the next.

But it doesn't come.

Instead Scott grabs his right foot and begins dragging him through the house to the basement door.

It's as if time slows down as he's lying on his back, hands on his wound in his abdomen, while he is being dragged by his one foot. He vaguely remembers his head bouncing off of each step as Scott drags him down the basement stairs. He is numb to the pain in his abdomen as it gushes blood. He's not scared. He's not nervous. He stares at the ceiling of the basement even when Scott stops dragging him, drops his foot, and disappears upstairs. He doesn't register where he is in the house. His mind is blank as he concentrates on his breathing. He is simply allowing himself to die.

"Derek!" Meredith screams.

Suddenly, Derek whips his mind into reality. Ignoring his bleeding abdomen, he turns his body in the direction of Meredith's voice. His heart sinks when he hears the pain in her voice. "Meredith?" he says. He scans the basement with his eyes, but the light from the tiny light bulb above only provides a small spotlight in the middle of the basement where Derek is. Derek finds Meredith's silhouette in the far, dark corner of the basement. He knows that she's lying on the cold basement floor, but he can't see her or assess her injuries.

"Derek?" Meredith whimpers. She sits up only for pain to shoot through her body.

Derek sits up and slowly crawls on his hands and knees towards Meredith. He never notices Scott coming up behind him. Scott grabs him by the hair and pulls hard, pulling Derek up on his knees, forcing him to look up at the ceiling. The combination of Derek's hand and his stab wound sends shock waves up and down his spine. This time he screams in pain.

While holding Derek's hair in his left hand, Scott produces a knife in his right. He holds the blade swiftly at Derek's atom's apple.

"Derek!" Meredith screams in despair at the sight of her husband. His eyes are strained so that he can see Meredith. She struggles against her restraints and crawls towards Derek, tears in her eyes. "No!"

Scott just stands, unmoving. The pressure on the blade does not waiver. "I have to get rid of him for you. You and I are going to run off together and get married." He begins to tighten the pressure on the blade.

"No!" Meredith screams. "If you let him go, I'll come with you," she promises. She gets closer to the light.

"Meredith, no," Derek says.

"Shut up," Scott yells. His right hand that holds the knife against Derek's throat begins to shake. "I wanted to show you how weak he is. That's why I brought him down here for you."

Meredith reaches the light and Derek gasps. _What did he do to her_? He sees a small cut just below Meredith's left eye with dried blood on it. But what surprises him is her pale face and sunken, glossy eyes. Her red cheeks give away the fact that she's been crying for a while. There is a slight flicker in her eyes, however, as he catches hers with his. And in that moment, their soft eyes communicate love and devotion.

And in that moment, Scott digs the knife into Derek's throat a little deeper, causing blood to trickle out. Derek prepares himself by closing his eyes.

"Stop!" Meredith yells with force in her voice. She forcibly stops herself from crying to trick Scott into believing that she does not care for Derek and that hopefully he will let him go.

Scott loosens his grip against Derek's throat. He stares at Meredith, waiting.

"Drop the knife and I'll go with you, willingly. I won't run or scream. I'll be your wife and we can live together forever. "

Scott considers Meredith's offer and takes it when he hears the distant sound of sirens. He immediately lets go of Derek's hair and drops the knife.

Derek slouches on the floor. Ignoring the pain throughout his body, all he can do is watch as Scott grabs Meredith and takes her away. He tries to yell. He tells his brain to get up and run after her but he simply cannot. His body is so beat up and so weak that it slumps over and he lays on the cold concrete.

Scott places his grip on her right upper arm and squeezes. He forcibly pulls her to her feet. In his hurry to escape before the police arrive, Scott doesn't unbind Meredith's feet. He simply holds her upper arm so tightly that blood flow begins to decrease. He pulls her up the stairs as her feet slam against each step as she struggles to plant her feet on the ground.

Scott has already disappeared from the basement with Meredith, and all Derek can do is pray that the police catch Scott before he can get away with Meredith for the second time. He listens to the sirens get closer and closer. Eventually he gathers his strength, and makes his way towards the staircase. Derek is only half way up the stairs by the time the police are in the house. He lies on his back and uses his fist to beat the wall. He successfully summons help.

Terry is the first to appear in the doorway. He calls for fellow cops before he descends down the stairs. "What happened?" he asks. "Where are Scott and Meredith?" He bends down by Derek's side.

Derek's heart sinks. They didn't catch Scott after all. Once again, Meredith is out there, in the hands of a psycho. "He stabbed me. He took Meredith. You have to go find her."

"Where is he taking her?"

"I don't know."

Terry begins to assess Derek's injuries and immediately radios in for an ambulance.

"No," Derek challenges. "I'm fine. Go find her." His voice is low and raspy. His breathing is shallow.

"I have guys out there right now trying to find her," Terry says pointing up the stairs towards the door.

Derek stops talking. He is finally succumbing to his injuries as pain floods his body once again. He stares straight up towards the ceiling. Tears begin to roll down his face. "She offered herself to him so that he wouldn't kill me. He wasn't going to take it but he did when he heard the sirens." He pauses and looks at Terry. "He just left with her. She's right outside. She has to be." He pauses again. "He's your partner. It's up to you now to save her."

Suddenly their heads snap up when they hear Meredith shout for help.

_xoxo_

Scott had no choice. The police were closing in on him and he had to figure out a way to get Meredith out of the house. He had not choice; he had to take her out of the house through the back door and into the backyard. He drug Meredith to the back gate leading to freedom but was forced to stop when two police cars pulled up in front of Meredith's house. Now, he stands in the shadows waiting for the police to disappear into the house.

Meredith whimpers. Before she was faced with Derek in the basement with her, Scott came down to slap her around her. He didn't do anything drastic, just enough to cause a few bruises throughout her body. After that she heard Derek talking to Scott. Derek had found her and everything would be okay. But she began to hear Scott threaten Derek so she did not scream for fear of Derek. But now, she has no problem screaming so she opens her mouth and screams, "help!"

Scott's head snaps to face Meredith and his face twists in fury. He tightens his already crippling grip around Meredith's arm and jerks her. "Shut up," he spits. He quickly dashes across the lawn using the darkness as his cover. Meredith's inability to carry her own weight due to her restraints around her ankles slows Scott down drastically. He takes the time to pull his knife out of its hiding place and easily cuts the rope around Meredith's ankles. He makes it to his car in no time.

By now, Terry and his accomplices reach the front porch to see Scott forcibly pushing Meredith into his car.

And in a flash, he takes off and rounds the corner, leaving a distant trail of Meredith's memory.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10 **

Derek's eyes flutter open to see a Korean woman standing before him. His blurry vision produces a head of dark, curly hair and dark eyes. "Cristina?"

"Hey, how do you feel?" Cristina asks.

Derek tries to ease himself up in a sitting position but winces in pain. "Like I've been stabbed." Derek looks at Cristina. "What are you doing here?"

"Owen told me about Meredith." She slaps Derek on the shoulder. "Because you never did."

Just then Bailey walks into Derek's hospital room. "Well look who is up." She pauses for a second. "I had to go in repair your vena cava and your small intestine. You were bleeding pretty heavily in your abdomen and the contents in your bowel were spilling into your abdomen. I'm confident that there will be no infection and you can leave in a couple of days. I did a pretty good job if I do say so myself." Bailey smiles and pulls her white coat tighter around her body. "And your hand…"

Derek's eyes land on his hand and he sees that it is in a cast. He hadn't noticed it before.

"…Dr. Torres had to reset it," Bailey finishes. Derek only catches her last words.

"What about Meredith?" A rush of panic hits him as he eagerly waits for the answer.

"They haven't found her," Cristina says. "I've been talking to Terry. They checked out his house but there's no sign of him or Meredith."

Derek quickly uncovers himself and struggles to twist his body so that he can get out of bed. Pain shoots through his body but he never thinks about stopping.

"Not so fast," Bailey scolds, "if you get out of bed, your stitches might bust and you'll get an infection for sure." She walks over to Derek and encourages him to get back in bed. She grabs his hand and pulls him gently back. "I know you're worried about Meredith but there's nothing you can do even if you weren't lying in a hospital bed.

Derek sighs sadly and takes his original position on his bed.

"Now, everybody is going to come in and visit you soon. After the plane crash and then this… They're going to bring encouraging words and I know it's hard but you should listen," Bailey soothes. "We are all worried too."

As if on cue, Richard Webber, Owen Hunt, April Kepner, Jackson Avery, Arizona Robins, Alex Karev, and Callie Torres files into the room.

It takes Derek only a second to notice Zola in Callie's arms. When Zola sees her father, she immediately wales and squirms. Callie places the baby on Derek's legs, careful of his abdomen and hand.

"Hi Zola," Derek coos. "I've missed you so much." He runs his good hand through her hair.

"Oh my god," April says, interrupting Derek and Zola, in a high pitched voice, "I am so sorry that I wasn't home. If I hadn't been working so long, I could have found her."

Derek smiles sadly. "It's not your fault." His gaze travels from April to the rest of the doctors. "Thank you all for your support but you all need to return to work.

"How's the hand?" Callie asks.

Derek glances at his hand. "Well I wasn't better off before this."

Arizona slowly moves her way from the back of the pack of doctors to the front. She limps on her crutch and her fake leg. She places a strong hand on Derek's shoulder. "We're all praying for her."

Richard uncrosses his arms and points at Derek. "Don't lose hope." He points his finger around the room to all the doctors. "We won't."

Just then, Zola lets out a scream of happiness as if confirming what Richard just said.

_xoxo _

_It's more beautiful here than the pictures_, Scott thinks. He pulls up in front of a log cabin located in the Cascade Mountains, just east of Seattle. Trees surround the quaint but cozy cabin. The porch leading off the front door has a wooden swing hanging from the roof that extends over the porch. Snow covers every inch of the ground as well as the tall pine trees the jut from the ground.

Scott gets out of the car and takes a deep breath, taking in the crisp mountain air. He smiles. Having never been here, he is excited like a child on Christmas morning.

He only heard of this quaint cabin in the woods when he was a child from his mother. Right before his mother died, he can remember her showing him a picture of this cabin. She told him that this is where her grandfather lived and she would come up here to visit him as a child. Scott's mother told him that when she was here she felt safe and warm. She felt as if the whole world and its problems disappeared. She told him stories about her playing in the woods when she was his age. She told him of a grand fort she made with her grandfather and how they would pretend it was a fortress that needed to be protected from the evil soldiers that tried to attack it. She told him of all the warm memories she had. When Scott was a child and his father was beating on him, he would often fantasize about being in this cabin where every care in the world would dissipate. He'd always wanted to visit, and he figured that this is the perfect place to start a new life with Meredith as his wife.

Scott walks around the car and pops the trunk. He grabs Meredith and pulls her out.

The bitter cold begins to prickle Meredith's skin as Scott leads her to the front door. She quickly surveys her surroundings but to her dismay only sees snow and trees for miles.

All of the furniture inside the cabin is covered with white sheets. Dust and cobwebs have collected on every surface of the cabin. All of the blinds are closed so sunlight struggles to get in.

"What do you think?" Scott asks once they step foot in the cabin. "It was my great-grandfather's but when he died, nobody ever moved in. This is my haven."

To Meredith, it's hell.

Scott heads deeper in the cabin leaving Meredith by the front door. He looks around and takes in the smell. He's so enthralled with the cabin that he misses the signs from Meredith.

Meredith has no interest in this cabin. All she can think of is getting back to Derek and Zola. She turns around and looks around her. Running away crosses her mind immediately.

"Don't," Scott warns.

"Don't what?"

"Don't run away. There's nobody around for miles. You'd die of starvation or freeze to death before you reach anybody that can help you."

Meredith looks at her feet. She doesn't want to admit it but she knows that Scott's right. There is no way that she would ever survive out there in her tennis shoes, jeans, T-shirt, and thin sweat shirt.

Scott begins to pull the sheets off of the furniture revealing a dark green sofa. "Might as well come in and close the door. Help me clean."

Meredith steps in the cabin and closes the door behind her, closing the door on her hopes of escape.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

_Derek catches sight of Meredith's beautiful hair blowing in the warm breeze. The sun captures her face making it glow. She brings her hand up and sweeps a loose strand of hair from his face. Her touch is soft and gentle. He wraps his hands around her waist, enveloping her in a hug. He kisses her gently on the lips before slowly and gently kissing her neck. When she giggles, he begins to kiss her neck more passionately. _

_Suddenly, Meredith's giggles turn into screams. With his heart racing, Derek pulls back and releases his grip on Meredith. She is gasping for air and she begins to fall to the ground. Derek lunges to catch Meredith in mid-fall but he is held back by something unseen. He struggles against whatever it is that is pushing him from her but to no avail. By now, Meredith is staring at him, begging for his help. Her breathing becomes so shallow that her eyes close and she stops her desperate pleas for help. _

_Derek is in the air, watching his wife die. The invisible force still pulls him slowly away from Meredith. He turns around to fight whatever has him but he is only punching air. He turns his attention back to Meredith when he sees Scott hovering above Meredith's body with a knife in his hand. Derek screams as Scott drives the knife in Meredith's chest. _

_xoxo_

Derek startles awake in a cold sweat. He shoots up into the sitting position, trying to catch his breath. His dream was so real that his is shaking. Sadness envelops him as he realizes that his dream is not that much different from reality. Tears begin to sting the back of his eyeballs but he refuses to let them escape.

"You're awake," Bailey says as she enters the room. She has his chart in his hand but does not bother to look at it. "Good news," she says, "you can go home."

Derek stares down at his cast and looks at Bailey. "I just had a nightmare about Meredith. She was dying right in front of me and I couldn't stop it."

Bailey sighs. "We all miss her. We all have been doing everything we can. Yang has been talking to Terry and Robins and Torres have been looking after Zola."

Derek smiles a sad smile. "Thanks."

After Bailey leaves the room, Derek quickly gathers himself and scurries out of the hospital room, vowing to only be in there when he is the doctor attending to the patient. He meets Cristina and Callie in the hallway. Callie hands Zola off to him. Derek gladly accepts the baby and kisses her on the forehead. He runs his broken hand, still enveloped in a cast, along Zola's back. "Have you been behaving yourself?" he asks, not expecting an answer.

His answer comes from Callie. "She cries a lot." She pauses. "She misses Meredith."

Derek looks to his feet. He pulls Zola tighter to his body. "I know. I miss her too," he says with a sad voice and sad eyes to match. His gaze lands on the two women standing before him. "We're going to find her."

The first thing that Derek does when he gets home is call Terry. Terry came to visit him a few times while he was in the hospital to ask him questions. Derek has racked his brain 24/7 to think of anything that Scott may have said that would tell him where Meredith is. But there's nothing. It's like his brain is clogged.

Zola begins to wail from her crib upstairs. _That nap didn't last long_, Derek thinks as he climbs the stairs to the second floor. He scoops the baby in his arms and presses her against his chest. When Meredith does this, the sound of her heart calms her down and she drifts to sleep. But for Derek, the baby continues to wail. Zola has already been fed and changed and there seems to be nothing that can quiet her down except for Meredith.

After almost an hour, Derek finally calms Zola down enough so that he can safely put her in the crib without any further whimpering. Immediately afterwards he goes into the kitchen for something to eat. His appetite has not been great lately but he needs to eat something anyway. He grabs some leftover Chinese food that he and Meredith enjoyed before she was kidnapped. He leans against the counter as he takes a big forkful of chicken chow mien and raises it to his lips. Before the food has a chance to pass Derek's mouth he stops. He immediately drops the fork and runs to the trashcan. He lifts the roses that Meredith got from Scott a few weeks prior. Nobody has taken the trash out because of all of the things that have been happening with Scott. He silently thanks God and plucks the card from the roses. He stares at the address. The address of the flower boutique listed on the card is not local. The flower boutique is located in the Cascade Mountains. Thinking of a possible long shot, Derek grabs his phone and calls Terry anyway.

"Powers."

"Hey, this is Derek. A few weeks ago, Scott sent Meredith flowers and I just looked at the card and the flower shop is in the Cascade Mountains. Does Scott have any property up there?"

Terry thinks for a moment. "No, he doesn't. His mother died when he was young and he has no contact with his father. He has lived in Seattle all his life. As far as I know, he's never even been to the Cascade Mountains."

Derek sighs.

"Give me the address on the card. I'll look into it."

_xoxo_

Meredith vigorously scrubs her body from head to toe. The combination of the hot water and pressure from her loofah causes Meredith's skin to sting. The various cuts on her body also stings but she welcomes it. It's the first time she has really felt anything since Scott took her.

She turns off the shower and steps out of the tub, wrapping a towel around her body. She exits the bathroom to a bedroom where she finds clothes that Scot laid out on the bed. It is a light blue dress. It buttons in the front and ties in the back. She slips the dress on to find that it is too big for her. The dress stops just below her knees. She emerges from the room with wet hair and red skin from the hot water. She looks around and sees Scott in the kitchen cooking. She stops at the doorway.

Scott glances over his shoulder and returns his attention back to his food. "Tonight I'm making something extra special for our engagement," he says. He motions for Meredith to sit at the dining table. Meredith slowly makes her way to the table and sits down. Scott has set the table with hand painted china. A dozen red roses rest in the middle of the table. He brings to the table two plates of fillet mignon with mashed potatoes, and broccoli. He turns around and grabs the gravy to place on the table. While sitting next to Meredith he says, "be careful. The gravy is hot." He begins to pour gravy on his mashed potatoes and a little on his steak. He methodically cuts a perfect square piece from his steak and takes a bit. He closes his eyes as the steak rolls around in his mouth. "Hmm… Hmm… this is delicious." He opens his eyes and sees Meredith staring at him. She has not touched the food. "What's the matter with you? You sick or something? Eat! This is our special dinner."

Meredith jumps at the sound of Scott's booming voice. She looks at the steaming bowl of gravy. Then she glances at the kitchen counter on the far side of her to find Scott's car keys resting. Meredith takes a deep breath and quickly grabs the bowl of gravy. She throws the gravy and the bowl in Scott's face.

Scott leaps from his chair screaming. He desperately tries to get the burning liquid off of his face.

Meredith races for the car keys. She grabs them and lunges for the door. When she gets outside, the cold nips at her body. But the only thing on her mind is getting to the truck. She finds it very difficult to run through snow. Although the driveway and sidewalk leading to the door has been shoveled, ice has accumulated and she slips. She lands hard on her tailbone and it shoots a sharp pain throughout her body. She screams in pain and glances towards the cabin. She sees Scott emerging from the cabin, looking angrier than ever. While Meredith is closer to the car than Scott is to Meredith, she leaps off the ground and runs as fast as she can to the car. The driver's side door opens easily and Meredith jumps in the car. When Meredith places the keys in the ignition, she hears Scott yelling at her to stop. She jolts her head to her left and sees Scott standing next to the car with a gun pointed directly at her. Meredith's heart beats even faster as she stares down the barrel of a gun. She throws her hands in the air and abandons the keys in the ignition.

"Get out of the car!" Scott orders.

Shaking not only from the cold but also in fear, Meredith slowly opens the door and gets out. Scott violently grabs her upper arm and stomps towards the woods, not the cabin. Meredith repeatedly loses her balance and falls to her knees but Scott keeps going, dragging her.

Snow and ice collect in Meredith's shoes and splash up her dress.

"I've tried to be nice," Scott rages, "but you just leave me choice."

As Scott drags Meredith through the snow, deeper into the woods, they uncover rocks and sticks buried under the snow that easily scratch Meredith's bare and cold legs. Some wounds begin to bleed and others just fester.

Meredith tries with all her strength to break away from Scott's grip. She knows what is coming next. She begins to scream for help.

Scott lets out a bellow. "Nobody can hear you," he says firmly. He throws Meredith on the ground and points the gun at her.

Meredith begins to cry. She gets on her hands and knees and crawls towards Scott. "Please," she begs, "If you love me you'll…"

"If I love you, what?! If I love you I won't kill you!" Scott tightens his grip around the gun. He begins to laugh. It's the kind of laugh that comes from the throat giving it an eerie and devilish sound.

Meredith stops and backs up. She sits in the snow with her knees to her chest, resigning herself to die. She closes her eyes and braces for the shot that will end her life.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12 **

"Wait here," Terry orders. He steps out of his car and draws his gun. Derek watches him make his way to the cabin.

While Terry and his team tread towards the cabin, Derek's eyes wander over its exterior. He is enraptured by the cabin and its sense of history. He doesn't spend much time thinking about the cabin, however. He looks back at the front door of the cabin waiting to see Meredith, but Terry emerges without neither Meredith nor Scott. His posture slips. He steps out of the car and towards Terry.

"They at least were here," Terry explains upon seeing Derek's arrival.

Suddenly, the loud, horrifying sound of a gunshot fills Derek's ears. He jumps and immediately looks towards the woods to his right where he perceives it to have come from. He looks at Terry to see the same shocked expression. Derek immediately turns and runs to his right heading for the tree line. He vaguely hears Terry shouting at him to stop before he disappears into the woods.

Derek's mind races. The gunshot could have come from a hunter in the distance, trying to kill dinner or a car backfire. He knows the most likely scenario is that it's a shot from Scott's gun.

Derek frantically searchers for Meredith, shouting out her name but hearing no answer. The cold begins to nibble at his body as he is only wearing jeans, a light jacket, and tennis shoes. He ignores the cold and continuously searches for Meredith, dodging sporadic trees.

Once again a gunshot goes off and he stops dead in his tracks taking only a few seconds to decipher the direction of the sound. He takes off running but stops when he sees Scott simply walking through the snow, looking down. The gun is dangling in his right hand.

Derek jumps behind a tree, disappearing from Scott's sight. He watches Scott move as slow as a sloth through the snow, shuffling his feet as if he was coming back from an exhausting day at work.

Derek weasels himself around some trees to get closer to Scott without being spotted. He takes a running start and throws himself at Scott, easily knocking Scott to the ground and the gun from his hand. Derek pins Scott on his back using his weight as restraints. His left hand with the cast on it makes it that much more difficult. "Where is she?!" Derek screams.

Scott simply smiles. His response is a fist to the jaw, violently snapping his head to the right to absorb Derek's punch. Anger boils over in Scott and he manages to throw Derek off of him. He turns on his belly and scatters to his feet for the gun.

Derek lands on his butt with a painful thud. He sees Scott going after the gun. Ignoring the pain, he quickly gets to his feet. This is one fight he cannot afford to lose. As Scott is bending over to pick up the gun, Derek dives for him. As Derek's stomach collides with the ground, his outstretched arms latches onto Scott's ankle, knocking Scott to the ground beside the gun. Scott begins to kick his foot trying to unlatch Derek's hands from his ankle.

Derek, determined to hang on even though the pain in his hand is excruciating, begins to claw his way up the length of Scott's body for the gun located by Scott's upper thigh, out of reach from both men. With a burst of energy, Derek painfully holds Scott's legs together to prevent him from kicking and snatches the gun. He scrambles to his feet and points the gun at Scott who is still lying in the snow. "Where is she?"

Scott slowly crawls to his feet. "Kill me and you'll never know," he says.

Derek wants nothing more than to kill Scott after all he has put his family through but he knows he is right. He does not lower the gun though.

Just then Terry emerges into sight with his gun trained on Scott. Without glancing at Derek, he says, "I got this."

Hesitantly, Derek lowers the gun and backs away from Scott. He takes satisfaction when he sees Scott wiping blood from his face.

"It's over now, Scott," Terry says. "Tell me where Meredith is." He orders his men to move in to arrest Scott.

Even with the handcuffs on, Scott does not volunteer the information.

Derek grits his teeth and prepares himself to punch Scott again.

Realizing there's nothing more, Scott opens his mouth. "Wait," he shouts. Derek stops. "I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know? We heard two gunshots," Derek yells.

Scott looks around. "I was going to shoot her but she got up and ran away. I tried to shoot her while she ran but I missed twice."

Derek wraps his hand around Scott's neck, squeezing ever so slightly. "Then what happened?"

"As she was running she fell down an embankment. I looked down but I didn't see her so I figured she's as good as dead," Scott manages even with Derek's hand around his throat. He points in the direction where he was coming from. "It's over there."

Derek lets go of Scott's neck but not before pushing him backwards hard. He sprints in the direction that Scott pointed. When he reaches the embankment, he stops and looks down. Fallen trees and rocks litter the slope. The snow makes everything that much more dangerous. With worry in his heart and in his mind, Derek descends the slope with Terry right behind him. The embankment is at least 50 feet, making the descent almost impossible. Both men reach the bottom of the slope having slipped at least once.

Derek scans the bottom of the embankment to his left while Terry scans to his right. Within moments two more officers join the search.

Derek runs along the embankment, looking for any sign of Meredith. Up ahead he sees a track in the snow as if somebody has fallen down the embankment. He picks up his speed and quickly sees a lifeless Meredith at the bottom. He runs up to her and kneels down beside her.

Derek takes in Meredith's condition. The dress that she is wearing provides no protection against the cold causing her body to go into hypothermia. The little body heat Meredith has retained has caused the snow around her to melt, soaking her dress. She has a few scratches on her arms and legs probably from her fall. The old cuts on her face remain in the first stages of healing but a new, deeper cut on the back of Meredith's head caused Meredith to lose blood and consciousness. All the feelings of dread, fear and worry come rushing back from the time Meredith drowned. She looks exactly how she did back then.

"Can I get some help over here?!" Derek screams.

He reaches for Meredith's hand. Tears roll down his face. He can't imagine his life without Meredith nor can he imagine Zola's life without a mom. His heart aches for his wife. He has missed her so much in these past days since Scott had her. He would give anything to take Meredith's place. He bends down and kisses her on the forehead, holding back more tears that threaten to escape. He takes Meredith in his arms and begins to hike back up the embankment. Her extremities dangle lifelessly. Terry tries to support Meredith's head while the other two officers provide Derek with support.

Once in the car, Derek sits in the back seat with Meredith, holding his jacket to Meredith's head wound to stifle the bleeding while Terry drives, with his sirens on to the hospital. He constantly keeps checking Meredith's pulse and breathing because at any moment she can slip away.

_xoxo_

Meredith's eyes open slowly as if she's afraid of seeing where she is. But she doesn't see wooden cabin walls. Instead she sees flowered wallpaper. She begins to cry as she realizes where she is. A soft, gentle touch of her hand startles her. She looks to her right. She sees Derek beside her hospital bed, stroking her hand.

Derek stands up from his seat. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asks gently. He begins to stroke her hair.

Meredith smiles. "Nothing. I'm just so glad to be here with you."

Derek smiles from ear to ear and bends down to kiss her on the lips. Without a word he crawls into the hospital bed and encloses Meredith in his arms with her back against his stomach. He smells Meredith's hair and smiles. "I missed you so much," he tells her.

**Hey guys, I hope you enjoyed my fanfic. Thanks to all of you for reading and a special thanks to those who reviewed! I may do an epilogue but I don't know yet. **


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